Well, I guess a "smart fella" like me doesn't see overwhelming evidence that your 5 reasons for why the crowds are so small explain the reactions of the Iraqi people. I don't know but that doesn't explain to me the reasons for the reception we've gotten and it sure doesn't explain why busloads, carloads and truckloads of Iraqis have been hurling themselves into tanks and dying in spectacular fashion. I don't think it's as simple as we make it out to be. The Iraqi's are a strong nationalistic people and they may not appreciate our use of force to "liberate" them. The other factor that we don't discuss is that unlike N. Korea where the people are starving, most Iraqi's have led relatively comfortable lives. Sure, there are sects who will welcome us and sections where we will undoubtedly be welcomed with the dancing and flowers we were told awaited us. The Kurds are ecstatic, The Shiites are leaning our way. I don't know about the Sunni and the Baeth are definitely not our friends. Time will tell and a few images on the screen will not. I expect that when this is done we will see substantial celebrations but we should be aware of those that do not share in the rejoicing. Even among those that rejoice, the mood can change quickly if we don't handle things properly.
Sure, I'm stuck in the Vietnam era. I'm also stuck in the Russian-Afghanistan era and a few others. That's called history and learning from it. If we install a puppet government that is not supported by the population and then try to prop it up with American military might, and if we use that tool to try to secure control of Iraqi oil, we may have to learn the lessons we learned in Vietnam again and those that the Russians learned in Afghanistan. Or maybe "it's different this time."
Finally, at the risk of offending you, I have to disagree with your assessment that I "have just seen the greatest military victory in a century." There is no question that the military technology that we've shown and the training and motivation of our soldiers is at the highest level the world has ever seen. To rank a victory over a small, technologically inferior country where there was never a question that we would overwhelm them quickly higher than the victory over Japan or Germany in WW11 or the victory in WW1, however, sets history on its ear. Great victorys aren't made by swatting mosquitos but rather by battling and defeating other great military powers. If it's a game, the opponent should at least be a worthy adversary. Ali might have had a clear and quick win in a boxing match with an elementary school student but I don't think history would rank it as a "great victory." |
